We Will Get Through This
Chaplain Joe White is the lead chaplain for our Pennsauken team. He has been with Simmons since 2017 through Marketplace Chaplains. Joe also serves as pastor at the Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and has been there since 2012. He and his wife, Jean, have two kids, Joey and Emilie.
The year 2020 has been unlike any other in my memory. We’ve been forced to change so much of the life we’ve grown accustomed to living. It’s all different, and we’re not sure when we’ll be able to get back to the way we used to be. In the last blog, Chaplain Nick helped us with his blog post uncovering the loss and meaning of the grief we’re experiencing. If you have not already done so, you should read it now (or better yet, after you read this post).
Our experiences, during this pandemic, are as varied as we are! No two are exactly alike. And while different, we have some very common changes.
Our schedules have been inconvenienced.
Our travel has been limited.
Our families have been separated.
Our jobs have been complicated.
Our anxiety has been increased.
As a chaplain, I am tasked with walking beside you through the ups, downs, and sideways times of life. I wish that I was able to wave a magic wand and make everything better, but that’s not the way it works. Instead, I am here to offer comfort, perspective, and hope as you put one foot in front of the other through this difficult situation.
Let me give you three words to shape your perspective:
Through
Through. That’s a great word. It reminds us that we’re on a journey and this is not our destination. Some people place priority on the end goal, while others prefer the process. Which one are you? Are you a journey person? Or a destination person? If you’d ask me, I would answer, BOTH! I enjoy where I am today, how I got here, and where I am going!
I know it may seem like a simple concept, but it gives us a bit of perspective as we go through this pandemic dominated season of life. At some point, we’ll be looking back on all of this…and someday, it will be a couple of paragraphs in a History book. This season will eventually give way to another.
I’m reminded of the old Road Runner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote would paint a tunnel on the side of a mountain, and the Road Runner would run through it…and then Wham! Wile E. Coyote would run right into the side of the mountain. Maybe you feel like this has made you run, full-speed, into the side of a mountain. But there is light at the end of this tunnel. Let me assure you that we will get through this!
Reason
In this trial, we’re looking for a reason. Why? What was the cause? Who is to blame? Should we have been better prepared? These questions are helpful, but they are all focused on decisions in the past that we have no power to change.
There are people working to find these answers, and I hope we’ll learn a lesson from what they uncover, but really, today, what difference will they make? The more I talk with all of you, I discover that we’re watching more news outlets, reading more articles online, and having more discussions with our friends – all seeking another bit of information. But, truth be told, all of this search for a reason has done more damage than expected. Our anxiety levels are at an all-time high…almost at a war-time level. And all we manage to do is find even more questions.
Another side-effect for this search for reason is division. Prior to this outbreak, our nation was experiencing a level of partisan separation never seen before. With the advent of social media, it seems like everyone is trumpeting their own opinion as fact, and this pandemic has only been another issue to find disagreement about on a daily basis.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: searching for reason will not get us very far. So what should we look for?
Purpose
This is what I really want to communicate to you. Purpose and reason are really very similar, but where they are different is the timing. When we look at reason, we’re usually looking back. But when we consider purpose, we’re looking forward! Reason looks for a cause, where purpose refers to a determination.
In all of this, many of us have felt totally out of control. And you’re right! There are many things that are outside of our control and influence. But, I have tried to find things I have the power to influence or accomplish.
Honestly, I feel better today than I did at the beginning of all this. I have decided to invest my energy and resources on some long-awaited projects in the house, and we, as a family, have spent more time together in conversation and fun (lockdown) activities. This has reminded me of what is really important to me, and has allowed – maybe forced – me to focus on them.
I have determined that we will leave this season better than when we entered. Looking forward, we are making commitments that will spill into the return to normalcy.
The Apostle Paul had this in mind in Philippians 3:13, when he said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
REFLECTION:
So, before we come through all of this, what will you purpose to change/improve? Take a step back and evaluate what this has revealed to you. Initiate purposeful conversations for improvement with those closest to you and, together, commit to the adjustments you see.
As always, I remain available to support and to assist you in this process.
Chaplain Joe White | JoeWhite@mchapusa.com